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The registration form is open for our annual Grandparents' Day. All visitors need to register to attend. This will ensure that the children are released from class to meet with them. Please register grandparents for this special day by clicking here.
The Thompson children celebrated their victory today by wearing a little or lot of green.
Next week’s Prep Newsletter will include information about class placements for next year.
The number of families signing up to our Hold the Line 'Til Year 9 Parent Pledge continues to increase. There are now 10 classes with active pledges. Ten pledges per class are needed to activate the pledge. If you would like to sign up, please use the following link: Sign the Pledge.
The pledge is a way to commit to delaying smartphone ownership for your child until at least Year 9. It aligns with the College’s position of encouraging free, unstructured play, adults modelling healthy tech habits, and introducing social media gradually and thoughtfully – ideally not before age 16. If you missed the recent StACTalk on this topic, you can view the slides here: View the Presentation Slides. You can also watch the StACTalks: Smartphones, Social Media and Well-Being video by clicking here.
StACTalks Follow-Up: Technology Well-being
Following on from the StACTalk, we’re pleased to offer a series of café mornings to continue the conversation around technology, smartphones, and student well-being. These informal sessions will provide:
Session Schedule: Preparatory School Library | Tuesdays, 8.45am–9.30am
Parents/caregivers are welcome to purchase a coffee from Staccato Café upstairs before heading to the Library. No RSVP is required to join these sessions. We look forward to welcoming you and continuing this important conversation together.
Join us for next week's StAC Ag Show, a vibrant, A&P Show-inspired event held at St Andrew’s College, in Gym 1. This annual celebration showcases the creativity and enthusiasm of our students across all year levels, with entries in categories such as baking, art, flower arrangements, Lego creations, and more. A petting zoo will be available for families to enjoy, along with spot prizes and raffles. All are welcome to come along and view the student exhibits. There will also be several raffles and spot prizes on offer. Entry is free, and we encourage you to come along to support our students and enjoy the agricultural spirit of the event.
Regards
Jonathan Bierwirth
Principal of Preparatory School
Deputy for Rector
On Monday, Preparatory School students travelled to Waihi School to compete in a series of sporting fixtures across hockey, rugby, football, and netball. While the results largely favoured the opposition, the day offered valuable lessons and moments of resilience for our students. Both the Mixed and Girls’ hockey teams faced strong opponents, with final scores of 0–10 and 2–11 respectively. In netball, the girls battled hard but were outpaced by a fast and accurate Waihi side, going down 11–37. Rugby proved to be a particularly tough match, with our team beaten in all areas, but showing commendable spirit by playing through to the final whistle despite a 0–100 scoreline. The highlight of the day came from our football team, who delivered a dominant performance and secured a 12–3 victory, providing a well-earned moment of success for our touring squads.
In stunning conditions, our rugby, football, and mixed hockey teams took to the field for a spirited exchange with Wellesley College. Each match showcased determination, teamwork, and plenty of drama. The Mixed hockey team capped off their week with a commanding performance, storming to an 8–0 victory. The football delivered a fiery contest filled, with St Andrew’s rallying in the second half with a flurry of goals to secure a thrilling 6–4 win. After a challenging week, the rugby team came out with something to prove. Trailing 7–17 at half-time, they made tactical changes and fought valiantly to the end, ultimately falling 21–42 but showing immense effort.
The Years 5–6 Boys’ and Girls’ basketball teams had a fantastic day out at the Years 5–6 Primary Sport Canterbury Indoor Tournament in Rolleston last week. Both teams played with heart and determination, making it through to the quarter finals. The boys showed great resilience in a physical match against Hillview Christian School, with Hillview managing to edge ahead and progress. Meanwhile, the girls took on a tall Waitākiri Primary School team, and proved that speed and teamwork can overcome height. Their fast-paced play earned the girls a spot in the semi-finals, where they came up against a strong Pūtahi Belfast School side. Although that match didn’t go their way, the girls regrouped and showed incredible spirit in the third-place play-off, defeating Avonhead School – Rakipaoa to finish the day with a well-deserved third place.
Last Thursday, several Year 4–8 classes competed in the South Island Rocks Times Tables Competition. Held on the Times Tables Rock Stars website, set up by former teacher Bruno Reddy, it has quickly become a firm favourite in the Preparatory School. The children spend 5–10 minutes each day practising their times tables. The competition was opened by Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, and children sat with their typing fingers ready while the formalities were completed, before the starting whistle blew. The atmosphere in the Preparatory School hallways was electric as children answered question after question, while watching their class and school position on the leaderboard fluctuate. Jo Cordner’s Year 8 Mathematics class (8MATH02) earned a highly commendable second place in the South Island. Well done to all children who competed.
Despite the very wintry weather, there was solid turnout for the most recent VEX Robotics scrimmage in The Green Library and Innovation Centre last Saturday. Overall, it was a great event, with some excellent IQ scrimmaging taking place alongside a lot of V5 testing and skills. In VEX IQ, “the Terminators” (Jack Blyde, William Keir, George Nicholls, Carter Robinson (all Year 7)) combined with an Ao Tawhiti team to take out the finals with a convincing win. Scoring 93 points is by far the highest score in IQ so far this season.
ChlöeAnn Botha (Year 7) competed at the Canterbury Senior Artistic Gymnastics Championships, achieving Nationals qualifying scores on both days of the competition with the following results: 6th overall, 2nd on vault, 4th on floor (Day one); 4th overall, 3rd on vault, 3rd on uneven bars, 4th on floor (Day two).
As the winter season winds down, we’re now preparing for the summer sports season beginning in Term 4. Please note that all sports will commence at the beginning of the term. If your child wishes to continue with the same sport from Term 1 into Term 4, no action is required. Should you have any questions, please reach out to Head of Preparatory School Sport, Dave Ermerins, at DER@stac.school.nz.
Please indicate by Friday 5 September if your child either: will not be continuing with the sport they selected in Term 1, or, would like to take up a new sport or add an additional sport. Please email the respective Sport Co-ordinator, and copy in DER@stac.school.nz with the details. While we’ll do our best to accommodate changes, we cannot guarantee placement in an alternative sport. The Sport co-ordinators and their email addresses are listed below for your reference.
SPORT CO-ORDINATOR CONTACT DETAILS
We will be running a Sport Holiday Programme for Year 1–8 students in the third week of the October holidays (Monday 6 – Friday 10 October). The sessions will be run by a variety of staff. The sports included are: invasion games, frisbee golf, basketball, cooperative games, futsal, pickleball, and more.
The sessions will run between 9.00am–1.30pm each day. Students can be dropped off from 8.30am; we will meet in the Preparatory School Library. An additional service is available for your child to be supervised from 1.30pm until 3.30pm.
COSTS: Payment will be disbursed to your College account. The cost of the programme for the week will be:
MEALS: Lunch will be included. Students have the option of a six-inch or foot-long Subway sandwich for lunch. Gluten-free wraps are also available. Students will have Subway on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They will have pizza on Tuesday and Thursday. There will be an additional $15.00 charged for a foot-long sandwich for the three days. Students will need to bring morning tea and a water bottle.
Click here to download the Subway order form. Please complete three entries (one order for each day). Please return the order form to the Preparatory School office and complete the online permission form below by Friday 19 September, 3.00pm.
COMPLETE THE ONLINE PERMISSION FORM HERE>
If you have any questions, please email Alex Kelley at AKE@stac.school.nz.
The Primary and CAIMS Canterbury Duathlon 2025 will take place on Monday 1 September at Ruapuna Raceway. Students have been asked to register their participation via their classroom teacher, by Friday 15 August. If there are large numbers, we may need to hold a qualifying event at school.
Format: Individual entries only – all participants complete all three stages (run, bike, run)
Grades: Years 5–8 and AWD categories (all ages)
Race Distances and Times
The Preparatory School kapa haka will be performing in the Ōtautahi Tūhono Kapa Haka Festival on Saturday 13 September in the Christchurch Town Hall. The children will be performing at 9.00am in the first of four Festival concerts being held throughout the day involving different age groups.
Parents/caregivers are encouraged to book tickets for the 9.00am Ngahau – All ages (non-competitive) concert at the below link.
The following 2025 photographs are now available to purchase online:
Details of how to order the photographs can be found on our website using the button below and you will need to log into StACNet using your St Andrew's College login.
If you have any questions relating to this service, please email photography@stac.school.nz.
For any illness, students should stay home if unwell. Any student should also feel free to wear a mask if they wish to do so while at school.
For any absence, whether ill-health (including COVID-19) or otherwise, the College’s preferred platform for reporting this is via our online form which can be found at the button below:
If you are not able to report your child's absence using the online form, please report their absence via the relevant email address below. If you cannot get through to us via the form or email, please call our attendance line on +64 3 940 2031 (term time only).
